


Give and Take

by Pinkgrasshopper



Category: Free!
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-26
Updated: 2013-10-26
Packaged: 2017-12-30 12:30:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1018633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pinkgrasshopper/pseuds/Pinkgrasshopper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One might not believe the story of how a silly discussion about English equivalents for Japanese honorifics grew into the very serious question of why Rei still insisted on addressing him as 'Rin-san', which later escalated into a practical lesson through sex, but it was true.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Give and Take

Rin’s first impulse upon waking up was usually to stretch his limbs across the mattress and maybe let out a loud yawn, a sort of methodical habit to prevent him from falling back asleep. But that morning, he had a very good reason to break that routine of his.

It wasn’t easy to shift in bed with an arm draped over his waist – even less so when he was trying not to stir the other boy up from his slumber – but he managed to turn just enough so he was resting on his back, his neck craned to one side to get a better glimpse of dark blue hair and a face that almost looked too different without those familiar red frames. The position might not be as comfortable as he would like, but a moment like this was rare – he was the one to wake up last, more often than not – and he wasn’t about to sacrifice it just for the sake of his body, sore though it may be.

And even _that_ had been very much worth it, too.

His eyes wandered over to an exposed collarbone, and the series of red marks imprinted there triggered memories from the previous night. One might not believe the story of how a silly discussion about English equivalents for Japanese honorifics grew into the very serious question of why Rei still insisted on addressing him as _Rin-san,_ which later escalated into a practical lesson through sex, but it was true. Between the two of them, there had never been any need for withheld feelings or half-finished thoughts, not even from the very beginning; an erratic sort of relationship was the only downside to it, if not a _perk._

But that is not to say they didn’t have to crack the message every now and then.

_‘What kind of uptight nerd is that formal with his own boyfriend?’_ had been code for ‘ _You’re a little distant sometimes, I wish I could feel you closer,’_ and, in return, _‘It’s just an honorific, I’ll drop it when I feel like it!’_ had been Rei-speak for _‘I don’t want to be distant, I’m just still learning how to show it.’_ They were together, there was no questioning that, but there was just something missing— or perhaps, as much as Rin would hate to admit it out loud, he was acting on selfish impulse and an embarrassing sort of neediness only rivaled by that of his old self from many months ago.

A small groan was heard when Rei moved in his sleep, and Rin had to wonder if perhaps he hadn’t been a little too rough with him before. What he wanted wasn’t just the intimacy of naked bodies, but that was hardly unwelcome, either. Rin had even thought he could use it to his advantage, and with every bite of his teeth and every sharp nail carving red scars on pale skin, he had wanted the other boy to call his name – and his name _only_ – and beg for him to either continue or stop, but Rei was headstrong as always and never slipped from his usual mannerisms. It was both endearing and frustrating, how he could be so damn resolute to the end, even in the throes of orgasm.

And it wasn’t until the morning, that almost elusive window of peace and quiet, that Rin could drop the anger and the heat of the moment and realize that he really didn’t have a right to demand anything. It was hard to swallow, but the truth was that the Samezuka swimmer was still too spoiled, a remnant from Rei’s overwhelming kindness and generosity dating back to a time when they were—wait, what _were_ they back then? They _knew of_ each other more than they knew _each other_ so they weren’t really rivals, although a _cquaintances_ certainly sounded like too light a word to describe two people whose first introduction had nearly been a talk with fists.

In any case, Rin was glad they had burned that bridge long ago, and the uncharacteristically soft smile playing on his lips was proof of that. Relationships were about give and take, he knew that much, though he would always feel like he didn’t have enough to offer back-- no matter what he did, he could never balance it out, could never make them truly even. The least he could do was give Rei the time he needed, let him break through the cocoon at his own pace.

The least he could do was to not _take_ so much.

“Sorry,” It was a quiet murmur, whispered more to himself than to the person he owed so much more than an a simple apology to, but Rin was still learning his way back to earnestness. His fingers then briefly reached out to brush a few stray locks of blue aside, still careful not to jolt Rei awake, before leaning over to kiss a red mark he had left on the younger boy’s neck the previous night.

And that was exactly where he stood, lips lingering on skin far longer than necessary, and only pulling away upon earning a pleased - if a little hazy - hum from Ryugazaki.

“Hey,” He greeted, his smile from earlier gaining an edge of awkwardness from wondering whether Rei had heard his little display of regret from a minute earlier or not.

“Good morning,” There he was, already slipping into polite speech first thing in the day. “What time is it?”

“It’s Sunday.”

“That’s not an actual answer!”

“Well, it’s as good as one!”

They sighed almost in unison, though it was hard to tell whose frown looked more annoyed. Amazing, really, how they could give each other grief with barely a few words.

“There’s no school today, Rei,” He dropped a hand on the crown of his boyfriend’s head, a gesture that bordered between a gentle pat and a reprimanding slap. “Just relax a bit for a change, yeah?”

“That is completely irrelevant! The key to heightening one’s productivity is to keep a routine, no matter what day of the week!”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Guess I’ll go get us breakfast, then.”

He leaned in again to end the discussion with a quick kiss on Rei’s forehead, before only half willingly leaving behind the tempting warmth of the bedspread and of a body that wasn’t his own— and just for a second, he may have felt that another hand had reached for his, fingers curling just enough to touch but not to link. But that was probably just an impression.

Or so he thought, until Rei made himself heard again.

“Breakfast before shower?” There was a sharp intake of breath, and while it was normally a sign Rei was trying to regain his composure, this time it meant something else. “That’s risking congestion! Honestly, Rin, do you never listen to a word I say?”

His back to the bed, Rin was immediately frozen to his spot, his mind running at the speed of light through heavy expectation and silence— silence that was only broken when Rei cleared his throat to speak again, careful and focused, as though testing out a new foreign word.

“Rin?”

If Rei had ever tried to ask anything else, all there was left of the attempt was a helpless yelp, cut short from the sheer impact of a powerful tackle and muffled by Rin’s arms snaking around his shoulders.

That wonderful, infuriating, _beautiful_ idiot had done it again.

“Would you mind telling me what just happened here?”

It took Rei another minute to say anything, blindsided from the sudden assault, and when Rin finally pulled away, his grin was a stark contrast to the scowl opposite his face. “We’ll take that shower before breakfast.”

“Ah, finally listening to the voice of reason— wait, _that’s not an actual answer, either!_ ”

But it was as good as one.


End file.
